Stephen Harper

Author(s):

The Editors of The Encyclopedia of Conservatism

Editor(s):

The Editors of The Encyclopedia of Conservatism

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Introduction

Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He was the first and only Prime Minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, which he led from 2004 to 2015. Harper studied economics and was a founding member of the Reform Party of Canada. He later became the leader of the Canadian Alliance and negotiated its merger with the Progressive Conservative Party to form the Conservative Party of Canada. After losing power in the 2015 federal election to Justin Trudeau, he resigned from politics and pursued international business and conservative advocacy.

Early Life

Stephen Harper was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. His ancestors came from Yorkshire, England, and settled in Nova Scotia in the late 18th century. He attended several schools in Toronto and was part of an academic quiz show team. Harper dropped out of the University of Toronto and moved to Alberta, where he eventually completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree in economics at the University of Calgary. As Prime Minister, he became the first leader with an economics degree since Pierre Trudeau and the first without a law degree since Joe Clark.

Political Career

Justin Trudeau (left) and Stephen Harper on Parliament Hill in 2015.

Stephen Harper’s political journey began as a member of the Young Liberals club in high school, but he later joined the Reform Party of Canada due to disagreements with the National Energy Program. He played a role in the party’s platform, ran for a House of Commons seat in 1988 unsuccessfully, and became executive assistant to MP Deborah Grey. Harper won a seat in the 1993 federal election, starting his political career as a Member of Parliament.

Harper was the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada, serving from 2006 to 2015. His tenure was marked by economic reforms, including reducing the GST, introducing the TFSA, and passing the Federal Accountability Act. Harper pursued assertive foreign policies. Harper’s government also withdrew Canada from the Kyoto Protocol and launched the Economic Action Plan in response to the global financial crisis. After losing the 2015 election, Harper stepped down as party leader and resigned from the House of Commons.